May 10--A West Hollywood man died Saturday evening when his hang glider crashed into a ravine below a popular launch site in Sylmar, officials said.
Markus Michael Albert Schaedler, 59, was reported missing by other hang gliders around 6:20 p.m. Saturday when he failed to meet them at a rally point after launching from Kagel Mountain. His friends called for help, and Schaedler was found with his crumpled glider in a ravine not far from Little Tujunga Canyon Road, said Lt. Fred Corral, of the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
Schaedler was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:26 p.m. by the Los Angeles Fire Department, Corral said.
Corral could not say whether Schaedler was an experienced glider pilot, but Kagel Mountain is the home launch for one of the oldest and most established hang-gliding clubs in the country.
jack.dolan@latimes.com
@jackdolanLAT
